The Japanese sculptor was selected out of a pool of 30 finalists for his innovative techniques.

<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/loewe">Loewe</a>&nbsp;announced the winner of its 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize on Thursday afternoon: Japanese sculptor Kunimasa Aoki won this year's award.
In his work, Aoki explores relationships between time and distortion by using techniques that use time, gravity, and pressure to influence how layers of clay look in his final pieces. The foundation awarded him awarded nearly $57,000 (&euro;50,000) for his "Realm of Living Things 19" work, made in 2024. The jury of 12 (comprised of leading names across design, journalism, art and more) chose the sculptor&rsquo;s work for "its honest expression of the ancestral coil process, and how the material is expressed in its raw, unfinished form," per the brand.
The jury also named two special mentions, including Nigerian contemporary designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello and Indian born collective Studio Sumakshi Singh. There were 30 finalists total competing for the prestigious prize. Each of the shortlisted works will be available to see at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid starting May 30 until the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.museothyssen.org/en/special/loewe-foundation-craft-prize-2025">exhibition</a>&nbsp;closes on June 29, 2025. It's also available to view online.

"As we celebrate the eighth edition of the prize, I&rsquo;m struck by the incredible breadth of ingenuity, beauty and skill in the works on show. Each year, the magic of the prize for me is seeing craft&rsquo;s continued capacity to surprise, innovate and evolve. I am immensely proud of the prize&rsquo;s role in keeping craft alive," Loewe Foundation President Sheila Loewe said in a statement.
The annual prize launched in 2016 and has since grown into an esteemed happening within the industry, which simultaneously honors the LVMH-owned brand's beginning as a dedicated craft workshop in 1846.
Click&nbsp;<a href="https://craftprize.loewe.com/en/craftprize2025">here</a>&nbsp;to learn more about this year's prize and shortlisted artists.

Winner Kunimasa Aoki's "Realm of Living Things 19" (2024). Photography courtsy of Loewe.

Kunimasa Aoki Wins the 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize (and About $57,000)

L'OFFICIEL PHILIPPINES MAY 2025 - Gabbi Garcia ₱600

L'OFFICIEL PHILIPPINES APRIL 2025 - Solenn Heussaff ₱600

L'OFFICIEL HOMMES PHILIPPINES MARCH 2025 - Creator ₱600

L'OFFICIEL PHILIPPINES MARCH 2025 - Connecting Women ₱600

L'OFFICIEL PHILIPPINES FEBRUARY 2024 - Heart Evangelista (Cover 2) ₱600 

L'OFFICIEL PHILIPPINES FEBRUARY 2024 - Heart Evangelista (Cover 1) ₱600 

L'OFFICIEL HOMMES PHILIPPINES DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024/2025 - Renaissance (Cover 2) ₱600

L'OFFICIEL HOMMES PHILIPPINES DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024/2025 - Renaissance (Cover 1) ₱600

L'OFFICIEL PHILIPPINES DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024/2025 - Marian Rivera ₱600

L'OFFICIEL PHILIPPINES NOVEMBER 2024 - Niana Guerrero ₱600

Kunimasa Aoki Wins the 2025 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize (and About $57,000)

Recommended posts for you

Bijoux

Celebrating the New Chanel J12 Bleu Watch in Bangkok With Becky, Gemini, and More

Fashion

Jennie Becomes Jean Paul Gaultier's Ultimate Muse in Pre-Fall 2025 Campaign

Hommes

Seiko Marks 60 Years of Dive Watch Legacy With Three New Prospex Releases

Fashion

Dries Van Noten: the Career of the Belgian Designer, the History of His Brand

Hommes

Tom Daley Is Letting His Guard Down

Culture

Dex Fernandez Brings Street Art to Your Ploom

Fashion

Bottega Veneta Celebrates 50 Years of Intrecciato With a Celebrity-Filled Campaign

Fashion

Jonathan Anderson Is Now the Creative Director of Everything at Dior